The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Construction Industry Research Chair was established through a partnership between NSERC, a consortium of construction companies, and the University of Alberta, and is the first of its kind in construction research. The primary goal of the Chair is to build the critical mass required for a major endeavor in the area of computer simulation in construction and to ensure this established critical mass is sustainable over the long term. Subsequent goals include establishing research programs of relevance to the construction industry, enhance the overall quality of construction engineering education at the University of Alberta, and transfer research and technology to industry. Under the Chair's second term, renewed from January 1, 2002 to January 1, 2007, the research program has focused on three key areas:
- Fundamental research to investigate and develop a production-oriented framework for construction project planning and execution
- Research and development of automated processes and technologies to ensure the successful implementation of the framework and to enhance the daily operations of collaborating companies
- Develop a better understanding of how construction companies execute their projects and help these companies upgrade their current practices to embody the state of the art in construction engineering and management.
This research builds on the work accomplished under the Chair's first term which commenced on January 1, 1997 and continued into a second term as of January 1, 2002. The second term concludes January 1, 2007. The program has a five year budget of approximately $4 million with additional in-kind contributions from industrial sponsors exceeding $5 million. Again, we are happy to announce that the Chair has been granted a third term of funding which runs from January 1, 2007 through to January 1, 2011.
Dr. S. M. AbouRizk of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is the chair holder.
